Fight another day
by Hannio
Summary: When Raphael asks Donatello a question, no one can quite see the damage it is going to cause, not just for them but for everyone else around them as well. Is there such a thing as a simple answer or a simple question? Can the damage ever really be gone?
1. A problem shared

Fight another Day

By

Hannio

Chapter One

A problem shared isn't a problem solved

**Disclaimer – **_None of the characters mentioned in the below work of fiction belong to me in any shape or form; I'm merely borrowing them for my own entertainment._

**Author note – **_Second new chapter story. Just my take on a plot which I'm sure has been used before. What can I say sometimes the classics are the best._

_Hope you enjoy._

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"You seem stressed, more so then usual even for you" Raphael stopped in his tracks and glanced back over his shoulder, his gaze focusing on his brother with his usual scowl in place.

"What do you want?" he growled watching as Donatello stood up slowly from the chair he had been seated in and walked silently across the living area, coming to a stop just outside of Raphael's grip. He crossed his arms across his chest and spoke, his voice soft and quiet in the otherwise silent lair.

"You seem angry over something, is there anything wrong Raph? Anything I can help with?" Raphael snorted, his eyes flickering away from Donatello's instead focusing on the blank TV screen to the side of them.

"Nothing" he said "There's nothing wrong with me Donnie so why don't you go back to whatever it is you're doing and leave me be" Donatello bit the inside of his lip and waited, his gaze focused on Raphael as the other turtle turned and walked away from him, back straight with his hand clenched into fist at his side. He watched him climb the stairs before he disappeared into his bedroom, the door closing firmly behind him.

Donatello sighed out loud; turning and walking slowly back to his desk with a thoughtful look on his face. Raphael had seemed so much more tense recently, there was clearly something which was on his mind but he wouldn't speak to any of them about it, anytime one of them built up the courage to approach him about it he would go silent and disappear as fast as he could, either retreating to the surface or into his room where he would stay for at least a few hours.

It was driving them all mad with concern. This behaviour just wasn't typical behaviour for Raphael. The hiding from questions, the refusing to answer them only to retreat was more something that Donatello would do. Not Raphael. Raphael normally faced life and problems head on regardless of any possible repercussions to his actions.

Donatello sat back in his chair and picked up the small prototype he had been working on the past couple of days. He fiddled with it half-heartedly before he placed it down on the table staring blankly at it. He needed to do something to help Raphael; he couldn't focus his mind on any other problem but that one at the moment.

He glanced behind him again his eyes focusing in the closed door. He was never good at this sort of thing. Donatello was too logical to deal with emotions problems. He kept his own emotions under wrap, deep down not allowing them to cloud his judgement. Both Leonardo and Michelangelo were better at relating to emotional problems then he was. They would be the logical choices to go and bang on Raphael's door demanding answers and emission. Still neither of them was there. Leonardo having dragged Michelangelo for extra training as punishment for slacking off during their training sessions.

That left just himself and Raphael in the lair which meant it was up to him to help Raphael with whatever it was that was troubling him. The same way that he knew Raphael would go out of his way to help him if the situation was reversed.

Donatello stood and made his way across the room again and up the stairs stopping outside Raphael's door. He hesitated for a moment before he set his shoulders and knocked firmly on the door waiting for an acknowledgement. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say when Raphael opened the door but now he was here he had to do something. He waited before sighing and knocking again.

"I'm not leaving until you open the door Raph, I want to talk to you, please open the door" he waited and breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the lock latch click and the door opened revealing Raphael's annoyed face.

"What do you want Donnie?" he demanded, Donatello glanced away from him for a moment before looking back and speaking.

"Let's go to the surface. I want to go on a run but you know what Leo and Master Splinter are like at the moment. They don't want us to go to the surface alone and neither Mikey nor Leo are here, they've already gone out and I err… I really want to go so I was sorta hoping that maybe you would come with me." Donatello trailed off as he realised he had been babbling. He resisted squirming under Raphael's blank stare with difficulty. Whatever Raphael saw caused him to straighten and nod his head.

"Fine" he said curtly, he turned and reached out grabbing his Sais from the table situated by the door, slipping them into his belt slot and left his room, closing the door behind him "You best leave a note for fearless, you know what he is like, If we aren't here when he gets back then his head will explode or something" Donatello smiled at him. Regardless of what Raphael said, he cared a great deal for his brothers.

"I'll make sure he knows where we are" Donatello remarked leading them both down the stairs.

"Where do you want to go?" Raphael asked waiting while Donatello grabbed his Bo and his bag, the same bag that went everywhere with him regardless of where they went.

"I don't mind, I thought we could head to the rooftops and see where they bring us" Raphael looked at him with the same unreadable expression as before though all he did was nod his head.

"This is your run" Raphael commented after a moment silence as Donatello scribbled a quick note explaining where they were "Wherever you want to go is where we will go"

"Great, let's head off then" Donatello said making his way out of the doorway without another word. He remained silent as he led Raphael out into the tunnels and towards the surface.

"We need to head up this one" Raphael suddenly said breaking the silence between them, as he leant forward and grabbed Donatello by the arm bringing the other turtle to a halt. Donatello looked back at him with a questioning look. "This one" Raphael repeated indicating the man hole above them to the left. "This manhole will take us to the East side of the city. It's a more derelict area so we're less likely to be spotted by anyone. It's the area I take Mikey when we head to the surface" Donatello followed his brother's finger with his eyes before nodding his head and heading in that direction.

"Sounds good to me" he commented, reaching out and taking a hold of the ladder he climbed up and using one hand he pushed the manhole cover up, looking cautiously out, like Raphael had said the area was deserted. He pushed it off completely and climbed out into the cold air. He stood and waited while Raphael emerged, his gaze focused on the surrounding area, scanning for any potential threat to them.

"Get to the roof" Raphael said as he pulled the manhole cover back into place and stood up. Donatello gave him a quick glance before climbing the fire escape to the roof. Now he was here he still had no idea what he was going to say to his brother. He had hoped that the words would somehow have planted themselves into his head during their journey.

"So what do you really want Don?" Raphael asked as he flipped himself onto the roof.

"I wanted a run" Donatello answered with a hopeful look on his face. Raphael raised an eye ridge at him.

"You never want to go on runs" Raphael stated blandly "You resent having to do training runs at the best of time because it means you have less time to invent. You have never once suggested going on a run" Donatello reached out and scratched his head.

"Fine" he admitted "I thought you might need a run to help clear your head or something"

"I think it would take more then a run to do that" Raphael muttered quietly, his eyes moving away from Donatello's to stare at the darkening sky above them.

"Look Raph, what is wrong with you?" Donatello asked turning to face Raphael "Even you aren't this upset all the time. Has something happened that we don't know about? Have you had a row with Casey or something?"

"No" Raphael replied shortly before turning away and making his way to the edge of the building "You want to run Donnie boy then lets run" he said before leaping off the building and onto the next roof. Donatello sighed before setting off after him. He highly doubted that Raphael would stop and wait for him which meant that he would have to keep up with him if he could. A task that was never easy at the best of times. Raphael may have been the bulkiest of them but that didn't detract from his speed in any form.

Donatello found himself grinning as he raced after his brother; he always forgot how much he enjoyed these runs until he was actually doing them. He nearly smacked into the other turtle when Raphael came to a sudden halt on a rooftop, his breathing steady showing no signs of the workout he had just had.

"Raph what's up? Have you seen something?" Donatello hurried over to the edge and peered over expecting to see a crime in process instead he was met with a completely empty street "Err Raph?" he turned back with a confused expression to see Raphael still standing the in the same spot where he had stopped, head bowed, hands curled into fists at his side. Donatello waited for a moment before speaking again. "Raphie why have we stopped?" Raphael glanced up his gaze pinning Donatello to the spot.

"I hate this" Raphael said lowly, his voice little above a rumble.

"Hate what?" Donatello asked in confusion "Running? Because if you do we could always stop and turn back?" Raphael shook his head.

"No not that" he said impatiently "I hate all of this" he indicated the city with his hand. "Doesn't it ever piss you off that we have to deal with all the mess that the people of the city make for themselves? Everyday they find some new sadistic thing to do to each other. The foot aren't operating at the moment, they've gone below ground. The purple dragons are lost without Hun so what exactly are we protecting them from?"

Donatello blinked in surprised and tried to gather his scattered thoughts. Out of all of them this was the sort of speech he never expected Raphael to say. Leonardo perhaps, Michelangelo maybe but never Raphael. The other turtle was always first in line to protect the people of the city.

"Is this what has been bothering you?" he asked and Raphael nodded his head.

"It doesn't matter how many scumbags we take off the street there always seems to be about a million more who are more ruthless and hungry for violence waiting to take their place"

"I get that Raph but this is what we've been taught to do" Donatello said as he took a step towards his brother "We've always been taught to protect the weak against the strong"

"Well perhaps they should learn to do it themselves Donnie; I'm tired of fighting for them. I'm tired of the injuries; I'm tired of the constant guilt I feel when one of you is injured. This battle, this stupid war is not ours to fight. Our battle is with the Foot clan or the purple dragons or Bishop and his lackeys. It isn't for anyone else. We shouldn't have to risk ourselves for this and for them"

Donatello remained silent, his gaze fixed on Raphael who was glaring into the distance, a darkness to him that Donatello didn't know how to crack.

"We do it because its right, it's not up to us to decide who we fight and who we protect. When we learnt these skills from Master Splinter we swore we would use it for the city to protect them"

"We didn't though" Raphael replied sharply "Master Splinter didn't want us to have anything to do with the upper world. He told us to stay away from them and to keep to the shadows, hidden from their gazes…" his voice trailed off.

"Raph what happened to make you feel this way? I mean out of all of us you were the one who really fought to go to the surface. You always said how important it was for us to help them"

"I don't know Donnie" Raphael replied after a moment's pause. "I don't know what has made me feel this way. I'm just being stupid; just forget this whole conversation even happened. Let's go" he said before turning and turning across the rooftop. He was gone before Donatello even had time to blink.

All he could do was stare after his brother with a hopeless feeling in his stomach. This was much more serious then he had first imagined and he had no idea what he was meant to do next, all he knew was that he had to do it soon before things got worse.

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**Author Note – **_Yay another chapter done. Chapter two is already written in my note book so I should be able to update within two weeks which is always a bonus._

_Hope you like it, please review but no flames. Thank you for reading._


	2. He said what?

Fight Another Day

By

Hannio

Chapter Two

He said **_what?_**

**Disclaimer – **_None of the characters mentioned in the below piece of fiction belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely borrowing them for my own entertainment purposes._

**Author Note – **_Yay chapter two is written and I've got chapter three partially written in my TMNT writing book so it should fingers crossed be written quite soon. I've a feeling that this story may end up being a long one! Anyway I hope you enjoy it_

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"What happened?" Donatello blinked at Leonardo as the older turtle stepped directly in front of the entrance to their home, blocking Donatello so he couldn't escape inside to his lab where he wanted to be. In his lab he could try and process what he had learnt and decide exactly how best to approach the whole situation.

"Huh?" Donatello managed to get out before Leonardo was pushing him back down the tunnel out of earshot of the lair. Donatello raised an eye ridge at his older brother as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"You went for a run with Raph; did you find anything out about what's been bothering him recently? He's been so miserable lately" Donatello breathed out loudly and nodded rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"He's tired of fighting from what I could gather. He just doesn't view it as a worthy cause anymore. He thinks we should give up fighting or at least concentrate only on our enemies and no one else." Leonardo stared at him, his mouth hanging slightly open.

"Raph said he was tired of fighting?" Leonardo repeated, averting his eyes from Donatello as he clearly tried to take the news in. "Raph said that? Our Raphael?"

"That's what he said Leo or words to that effect anyway" Donatello confirmed.

"What did you say in reply to that?" Leonardo asked after a moment's silence between the two of them. Donatello shrugged his shoulders looking awkward.

"What could I say?" he demanded "I told him that this was what we had been trained to do and that was why we did it and why we continued fighting but to be honest he didn't seem to buy it Leo. I tried but I'm just not good at all of this sort of thing. I mean I was expecting him to say that he had, had a row with Casey or something not that he was questioning everything we've ever been taught. I think that that is a little above what I'm used to dealing with" Leonardo nodded his head slowly in response to what Donatello said but remained silent, his eyes focused on the ground.

For a moment Donatello wished he could read Leonardo's thoughts to see exactly what their older brother was planning on doing because if Donatello knew Leonardo then he knew that a plan was already beginning to form.

"Is he in there?" Donatello asked breaking the silence as he looked passed Leonardo; his gaze focusing on the closed wooden door. "He had quite the head start on me" Leonardo glanced back in a distracted manner before he answered.

"He came in, got a drink and went straight to his room without a word the same as he has done for the past two weeks. Mikey followed him though and actually got into the room this time without having the door slammed in his face so I'm assuming they are speaking together or something." Donatello sighed.

"Well it's a start I guess" he said before he rubbed the back of his neck again. "Look Leo can you move so I can actually go inside now. I've told you what has happened and there's nothing more for me to add. I'm thirsty, I'm cold and I've a lot on my mind not to mention the fact here is about a million things I could be getting on with while you mull things over in your head." Donatello finished, waiting patiently for Leonardo to acknowledge him.

"Oh yeah sorry of course go in." Leonardo answered, stepping to the side to give Donatello room to move by him. Donatello flashed him a smile before he walked to the door and opened it, stepping into the warm living area. He glanced behind him to see whether Leonardo was going to follow him but the older turtle seemed glued to the spot so Donatello pulled the door to behind him not wanting the hot air to escape.

His gaze automatically went to Raphael's door but it was closed. The fact that he couldn't see or hear Michelangelo anywhere probably meant that he was still locked up in Raphael's with him. Donatello hoped that he would have more luck with Raphael then he himself had. Raphael and Michelangelo had always been close; if anyone could bring their brother out of his miserable state then it was bound to be the youngest.

Donatello walked slowly to the kitchen lost in his own thoughts as Raphael's words echoed through his head. Raphael had a logical point to make, it did seem pointless to fight for people who despised them and wouldn't hesitate to dissect or kill them if they could get their hands on them. He shook his head trying to dislodge the thoughts from his head but it seemed as though they had taken root in there.

He wondered what Leonardo would do now that he knew the reason behind Raphael's recent strange behaviour. He sighed, he just hoped his brother wouldn't make the situation worse then it already was. Raphael was a ticking time bomb at the moment and more often then not Leonardo was the fuse to make him explode and it was one explosion that Donatello had no desire to see or witness.

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**Author Note – **_It's always a good feeling to finish a chapter __chapter three will hopefully be up soon as I said before it is partially written but still needs to be finished and detailed. I'm hoping to have the next update up within two weeks though! Please review and thank you for reading._


	3. Indecision

Fight Another Day

By

Hannio

Chapter Three

Indecision

Disclaimer – _None of the characters mentioned in the below story belong to me in any shape or fashion. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes._

Author Note – _Here is chapter three. _

_Some of the chapters in this story will be long, some of them will be short, as I mentioned before I do plan to complete all my stories so if you do have a favourite one chances are the next chapter will be up shortly. I don't have as much time as I used to as real life keeps getting in the way but trust me when I say they will be worked on, it might seem like I've forgotten then but I haven't. I even have some ideas for some new one shots but as I said it's unfortunately all about finding the time to get them from my brain onto paper and then typed on before going through my obsessive editing._

_ This chapter is in a slightly different style then I sometimes write in but I tend to like letting the story naturally flow and this was what came out._

_ I hope you enjoy it._

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Leonardo let out a deep calming breath, his dark eyes closing as he heard the soft click indicating that the lair door had closed behind Donatello, leaving him standing alone in the sudden darkness. The darkness never bothered him though, not like it bothered Michelangelo. Leonardo found it almost soothing, a chance to escape every ones' watchful eyes and just relax into his true self without having to worry about being the perfect son or leader.

Often he would slip out of the lair, once he was sure everyone else was either asleep or suitably preoccupied, grabbing his scooter which he kept by the exit for this very reason and racing down the cold, empty stone tunnels. His excited whoops and cries of amusement, breaking the heavy silence, a rare carefree sound often only heard by his own ears, in his own company.

Darkness to him indicated Leonardo time and it was a time he loved and craved.

Except this time he couldn't move and he couldn't enjoy it. This time he felt almost suffocated by the darkness as it pressed in close around him, his mind whirling as he tried and failed to grasp exactly what Donatello had just told him.

How out of all of them could Raphael have decided that enough was enough? The same Raphael who would constantly throw himself into every type of danger imaginable if it meant saving someone. The only time Leonardo had seen him hold back was on the rare time that any form of action would cause harm to one of his brothers. Then and only then would Raphael err on the side of caution. His eyes never leaving the scene they would have stumbled across, his whole body trembling with suppressed adrenaline indicating his trouble accepting his own choice of staying out of it but he somehow he would remain still, staying by Leonardo's right hand side, guarding him from harm the way he always did.

What was wrong with his brother?

Leonardo reached up and wiped his hand over his eyes, pushing the discomfort his aching head was causing him from his mind as he twisted his upper body round, his eyes narrowing as they focused on the wall concealing the door to his home just behind him.

There was no other choice available to him that he could see. He would have to talk to Raphael directly, try and get beneath his protective barrier without having his younger brother explode in his face. An argument between the pair of them at this time would be a complete disaster; Raphael would either react in two ways, either he would rage at Leonardo before storming out of the lair or he would shut down immediately retreating into a sullen silence, the same as he always did when he felt threatened in any fashion, his eyes stared accusingly at Leonardo in a way that would make the older turtle want to squirm.

That look sometimes haunted Leonardo's thoughts, a sharp feeling in his heart twisting each time he allowed himself to linger on it. The look that made him feel that he had somehow betrayed Raphael. That the younger turtle had been relying on him for something and he had failed not only to know what Raphael was silently asking him, but also to actually do it.

He would somehow have to worm his way into Raphael's confidence, replacing Michelangelo for a short time as the person Raphael spoke to about things troubling him. He could try and speak to Michelangelo directly and see whether he would tell him anything that Raphael might have confided in him but he wasn't holding his breathe. The youngest was protective of the position he held as Raphael's secret keeper. He wouldn't give anything away knowing that if he did, he may lose that position in his brother's life.

Leonardo groaned the sound loud as he tried to sort his thoughts out. Raphael needed him whether he admitted to it or not. There was something clearly troubling him and Leonardo highly doubted it was something as simple as he didn't fancy fighting anymore. Something must have happened to him when he was last on the surface, something which plunged him into a brooding silence which was more familiar from either Leonardo or Donatello. Raphael was more likely to go off into raging fits where he yelled at the top of his lungs, pounding at a wall or the punch bag with his fist until the rage dispersed then to descend into a sulk.

Approaching him now would be stupid, he would already be tense from his encounter with Donatello and if Leonardo barged in to his room now then any chance of Raphael confiding in Michelangelo or himself would be out the window as well. He had to pick his time carefully before bringing up the subject. It was just a case of actually knowing when that time would be.

He needed some advice before he came to a decision, that much he did know.

Leonardo turned walking back to the wall, he reached up and pulled the metal pipe, the wall sliding up in front of him showing him the old oak door which he opened, entering the warm lair with a thankful sigh. He had been chilly out in the tunnel.

Glancing around his eyes fell on Donatello, narrowing slightly as he noted that Donatello was merely prodding at his latest invention instead of working on it, there was something clearly going on in his mind. Leonardo hesitated for a moment wondering whether he should first speak to Donatello to see if he was ok but he pushed the thought aside. Donatello was more then capable of sorting out any problems him self, if he needed him then he would come to him and Leonardo had bigger problems to try and solve.

Giving a decisive nod and ignoring the uneasy feeling in his stomach Leonardo continued across the room, his eyes intent on his destination.

If there was one person who could guide him and help him reach Raphael before the situation became worse then it was their father.

Master Splinter would surely know what to do and if he didn't then they were quite simply screwed.

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Author Note – _Thank you for reading, hopefully you enjoyed it. I won't give a time limit to when I'll next update because I don't know when that is but I can promise you that I definitely will update again in the upcoming future._

_ If you liked it then please drop me a review and let me know. Its always pleasant to get feedback. If you didn't like it then fair enough, each to their own._

Next chapter – _Most likely it will be Leonardo and Master Splinter having a talk._


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